My brand new car was acting weird on me today

[sea-horsea]

Ok i was on the freeway going about 65 mph and low on gas(it was blinking then I drove about 15 miles in distance when it started to blink)....all the sudden the red triangle with the "!" sign in the middle came up along with the VSC and check engine sign....I was freaking out because after the lights came up i felt like I won't be able to accelerate...slowly i pulled to the very right hand lane and about the pull over to the shoulder (going about 25 mph) then i was able to accelerate the car again....luckily an exit was coming up so i got off the freeway and luckily there were 3 gas stations so I pulled into the gas station...
I shut the power off...turn it on again and the lights were still on...then I filled up the tank and turn on the power again..now the lights were off....

QUESTION IS: What happened?????? is it normal when the prius is out of gas? I read the manual and it says a full tank is 11.41 or so gallon and I pumped 11.2 gal. of gas at the pump....could it be that the car is shutting down because there was no gas left????

at first i thought something wrong with the computer because I remembered I was washing my windshield and right after I sprayed the lights came up....could it be related???

I was freaking out and I hope there's nothing wrong with the computer in the car coz i just got it on friday and I don't want to bring it back....I am not done playing with it yet....:P


every possible answer and suggestions appreciated...thank you all.

[AussieOwner]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sea-horsea @ Sep 3 2007, 04:10 PM) [snapback]506199[/snapback]</div>

Ok i was on the freeway going about 65 mph and low on gas(it was blinking then I drove about 15 miles in distance when it started to blink)
[/b]

I don't know about all the lights, but I do know from a number of threads that when that gas light starts to blink - get some gas asap. I normally fill when the gauge drops below the halfway mark, but on the last tank decided to see just what happens if I try for draining the tank - had a couple of weeks of local driving with lots of gas stations around, but I panicked before it got to the blinking stage.

The car will run in EV mode even when you run out of gas, but only for a short period of time, but that all depends on your SOC (state of charge on the battery). If you had a low SOC, then this might have prompted the car to flash more lights at you.

[Bill Merchant]

I'm guessing you ran out of gas, a very bad thing to do to your new Prius. What part of the "Add Fuel" warning that flashed on the MFD with a ding was confusing?

The fuel level indicator is frequently referred to here as the guess guage. Don't try to calculate how many miles you have left on the tank, the bladder means that the tank can change size depending on temperature and pump pressure. Also, never overfill the tank by topping off; you can saturate the evaporative emissions control system and, if you persist, flood gasoline into the metal tank surrounding the bladder, necessitating an expensive fuel tank replacement.

[Prius 07]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sea-horsea @ Sep 3 2007, 02:10 AM) [snapback]506199[/snapback]</div>

Ok i was on the freeway going about 65 mph and low on gas....
[/b]

Even the Prius needs to refuel sometimes. please don't wait until it's too late. I usually refill at 2-3 pips left and the lower I'm on gas the more certain I want to be that a gas station is near by. Being on a HWY low on gas is not a chance I want to take, but if you were in that situation again slowing down from 65 MPH will extend further your remaining fuel.

Enjoy your new car

[Michgal007]

I ususally fill up when there are 2 pips left, especially on the highway. Now you know what not to do again. Enjoy your new Prius!

[qbee42]

You ran out of gas. I wouldn't make a habit out of it, since it's not a very kind thing to do to the HSD system. For other readers who might be thinking about this for the first time, remember that the Prius is a gas powered car. It isn't designed to operate without gas. It will only go a very short distance once you run out, and it's not good for the hybrid system to try and make it to a gas station on electric only. If you are very, very close, sure, you can "coast" in, but otherwise pull over at the first safe spot. Better yet, don't run out of gas. I always fill up when I'm down to two pips, as soon as I can conveniently do so.

Tom

[Doc Willie]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Sep 3 2007, 08:49 AM) [snapback]506249[/snapback]</div>

If you are very, very close, sure, you can "coast" in, but otherwise pull over at the first safe spot. [/b]

Sitting at the side of the road in a hybid out fo gas.

Oh the HUMILIATION !!!

[qbee42]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Doc Willie @ Sep 3 2007, 09:19 AM) [snapback]506253[/snapback]</div>

Sitting at the side of the road in a hybid out fo gas.

Oh the HUMILIATION !!!
[/b]

It has happened to more than one poster on this board. It's a bit like when I used to drive a Jeep C-J5. I was stuck in the Jeep more than any other vehicle I've ever owned, but it was because I drove it places and in a manner that I would only do with a serious off-road vehicle. The Prius brings out that sort of behavior in some people, causing them to stretch a tank of fuel to the limit, and sometimes beyond.

Tom

[sea-horsea]

thank you for all the suggestions....

I have been driving for more than 10 years and never ever had a car went out of gas on me...I ususally fill up after the gas is low....and I guess I got used to the fact that in "conventional" cars after the lights on you can still go a good 20 to 30 miles without running the tank empty...dats why now I feel so hurt doing this to my car and I will be filling up the tank when there's 3 bars left....thanks again for the help :P

[pewd]

remember that with a fuel bladder, the tank size is variable; it changes with temperature and other factors. that takes getting used to.